MK Simcha Rothman (Religious Zionism) on Saturday evening spoke out against the proposed ceasefire plan, warning that freeing terrorists with blood on their hands is a price that Israel cannot afford to pay.
Speaking to Kan News, Rothman said, "250 terrorists with blood on their hands that walk free - that's one huge price."
"This deal is not good, but I am not going to give [Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu a performance assessment right now. The very fact that we are sitting here now and [US President Donald] Trump and Netanyahu are saying that we are waiting for Hamas' answer - that is a problem."
"We swallowed many frogs with the previous deals. Now we have our eyes on the ball, to ensure that the goals of Israel's war are achieved in their entirety."
On Friday, Trump responded to Hamas’ reply to his proposal for an end to the war in Gaza.
Even though Hamas had not agreed to all the points in Trump’s plan and called for negotiations, Trump in his statement welcomed Hamas’s response as a positive one, claiming Hamas is ready for peace and calling on Israel to stop its strikes on the Gaza Strip.
“Based on the Statement just issued by Hamas, I believe they are ready for a lasting PEACE. Israel must immediately stop the bombing of Gaza, so that we can get the Hostages out safely and quickly! Right now, it’s far too dangerous to do that,” Trump wrote in a statement posted to his Truth Social account.
He added, "We are already in discussions on details to be worked out. This is not about Gaza alone, this is about long sought PEACE in the Middle East."
Following this, Netanyahu ordered the IDF to cease offensive attacks in Gaza and move to defensive actions only.
"Following Hamas's response, Israel is preparing for the immediate implementation of the first stage of President Trump's plan for the immediate release of all the hostages," Netanyahu's statement read.
"We will continue to work in full cooperation with the President and his team in order to bring the war to an end in accordance with the principles set forth by Israel, which are consistent with President Trump's vision."